Telephone
by skipple
Summary: Nunnally Vi Brittannia receives an unexpected phonecall. Oneshot.


I don't own this show.

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Her cellphone rang at 11:30 in the night. She groaned as she rolled over to the bedside table and snatched it up, holding it above her head to look up at screen. Unknown Number. She hit the talk button and put the phone to her ear, the sharpness in her voice hiding how tired she was. "This is Empress Nunnally Vi Brittannia, who am I speaking to and how did you get this number?"

"Hey, Nunnally."

Her purple eyes shot open as she jumped up from the bed in a flash. She tried to speak for a few seconds, finally croaking out only a name. "C.C."

She could almost hear the warm smile gracing the witch's lips on the other end of the line. "Yes, Nunnally. It's me."

"H-how long has it been?"

She heard a sad laugh echo through the phone. "Don't act like you don't know."

Nunnally closed her eyes and sighed. Nineteen years, eight months and four days. The day of her brother's death marked the last time she saw C.C. But... "Is Lelouch with you?"

The tiny phone made a crackling sound as C.C. sighed into her end. "Nunnally..."

"Is he alive!?"

C.C. paused before responding. "He's gone, Nunnally. You of all people should know. You were there. Zero killed him."

Nunnally cringed as she remembered that day. "But Zero... Suzaku told me everything. About Geass, about your Code. It's possible-"

"No, it's not. I kept my Code, I didn't want Lelouch to go through what I already have. Lelouch is gone, Nunnally."

Nunnally sat back on the edge of the bed, sighing. In a way, she was relieved. She knew how hard it must be to be immortal, to watch everyone around you age and die while you keep living. "I'm sort of glad," she whispered, holding back her tears.

"Me, too." C.C.'s voice was sad and distant. After being blind for so long, Nunnally had gained the ability to understand a lot about a person just by hearing their voice. Something was wrong about C.C. She was hiding something.

"C.C., what's wrong? Why did you call me?"

There was another long pause. "I just wanted to talk to you, it reminds me of..."

"Of him?" she completed her sentence.

"Yes," C.C. sighed with relief. A moment of silence fell across the line before Nunnally's curiosity broke it.

"What have you been doing all this time?" she asked.

"Traveling," C.C. replied bluntly.

"Traveling? Just that?"

"Just that. I've decided not to make any more contracts, Geass has never led to any happy endings."

"But doesn't that mean-"

"I'm not sure. There may be other ways to get rid of the Code besides passing it on to others through Geass."

Nunnally suddenly remembered something Suzaku had told her before. "You mean like Charles? Lelouch killed him and destroyed his Code in the World of C, right?"

She could hear C.C. draw in a breath at the mention of Charles' code. There was yet another long pause before she answered. "Yeah," she heard another sigh through the phone. "Just like Charles." Nunnally could sense the odd emotion in C.C.'s voice again. She wished she could hold her hand to tell if she was hiding something, the way she always had in the past.

"So where are you now?"

"I'm in the District of the United States." C.C. sounded relieved to have the subject changed. "In the West, near Las Vegas."

"Really!? What are you doing there?"

"I'm working in one of the casinos here."

Nunnally giggled through the phone. "Wow, C.C., I always thought you would start up a pizzeria or something. What made you decide to work in a casino?"

"I... I don't know, I just needed some quick money and they were hiring, so..."

Nunnally was suddenly reminded of the past. "I remember when Lelouch used to sneak out of gym class to go gambling. All the girls would get mad at him, telling him he had an addiction to it." C.C. remained silent as she continued, "He was good at it, though. I think it was one of the few ways for him to vent out his competitive side." She paused for a second, then chuckled quietly. "Until he met you, of course."

"...I'm sorry."

Nunnally smiled sadly. "Don't be. The world is a better place because of what you and he accomplished. I should be thanking you."

"But... if I had just stopped myself from giving him the Geass-"

"Then he would have died without accomplishing anything. Remember?" C.C. didn't reply. "You both have done something great. You should be proud of him, and of yourself. I am."

"Thanks, Nunnally."

Neither of the girls said anything for a while, choosing to simply think about the past. Nunnally heard quiet whispers in the background over her phone. She strained to hear what they were saying, but it was much too quiet. Suddenly, C.C.'s voice erupted out of the tiny speaker.

"Nunnally, I have to go now"

"O-okay... Will I get to speak to you again sometime?"

"I...I'm not sure. But it was nice talking to you, Nunnally."

"You, too, C.C..."

"Goodbye."

"Bye..."

There was a click on the other end of the line, followed by a dull dial tone. Nunnally held the phone in front of her and stared at the blank screen for a moment.

"Say hello to Lelouch for me, C.C."

She flipped the phone shut with a smile, placed it on the table, and quietly crawled back into the royal bed.

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I'm a bit of a sucker for happy endings. **Please review!**


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